Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) gets a hand from head coach Jason Kidd during the first half in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
The Dallas Mavericks are in the middle of yet another transition period.
They need a new coach. They have to fill out the rest of the front office and they need to replenish several positions across the medical staff and scouting department.
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However, under team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz, the organization hopes this is the final period of change as it dives headfirst into the Cooper Flagg era.
Ujiri addressed several topics in Wednesday’s news conference to address the departure of Jason Kidd, but there are several questions that remain for the Mavericks.
Which coaches will remain after Kidd’s exit?
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It is unclear which coaches will remain from Kidd’s staff following his departure, but Ujiri said “a couple” will remain with the organization to help with the transition period. It’s safe to presume that assistant coach Phil Handy is one of those coaches since he was on the court with Naji Marshall and Ryan Nembhard during an offseason workout on Wednesday.
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As for the rest of the bunch, which includes lead assistants Frank Vogel, Jay Triano and Popeye Jones, it’s hard to predict where their futures lie. Vogel and Triano have been head coaches before and it’s possible that they may want to throw their names into the hat for the head coaching job, or any one of the other three coaching vacancies in the NBA.
In most cases, the new head coach hires his own staff and may choose to keep a select few from the previous coaching staff. That could be the case for Dallas’ ring of assistants, but it’s hard to tell so soon. Ujiri said the decision to retain members of Kidd’s coaching staff will be left to his new hire.
What happens with Kyrie Irving?
There has been so much attention on the front office and coaching staff this offseason that roster construction has gone under the radar. The biggest question mark on the roster remains the status of Kyrie Irving and whether or not he fits in Ujiri’s and Schmitz’s plans. The Mavericks team president has praised Irving twice since he was hired and blatantly said he wants to see the nine-time All-Star guard playing next to Cooper Flagg.
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“Kevin Durant once told me that there’s only one Kyrie walking around in the world,” Ujiri said. “I think we have to figure out a way how Kyrie fits with our program. And I’ve had those conversations with Kyrie up until [Tuesday]. And I think Kyrie will fit. I’ve said it before. There’s a huge curiosity of our minds to see how Kyrie fits and plays with Cooper Flagg. … I think we owe this organization that.”
It appears as if Ujiri is open to seeing Irving in a Mavericks uniform next season, but is the feeling mutual? According to ESPN, several contenders are closely monitoring Irving’s situation in Dallas, which isn’t surprising given the amount of change throughout the franchise this offseason. Irving and Kidd were as close as you could get from a player-coach dynamic. It’s very possible that whoever the Mavericks hire as their next coach could play a role in whether Irving wants to remain in Dallas or negotiates his way out of town to a contender.
Who fills out the rest of the front office?
Ujiri and Schmitz lead the top of basketball operations, but who will work directly under them? Matt Riccardi is joining Kidd in leaving the organization this offseason. Riccardi was co-interim general manager this season alongside longtime Mavericks executive Michael Finley. Ujiri was asked about Riccardi on Wednesday and Ujiri praised him for giving the franchise financial flexibility by orchestrating the Anthony Davis trade. However, the mutual separation of ways appears to be caused by a sense of redundancy with Ujiri’s future external front office hires.
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“He really helped us get to this point,” Ujiri said. “I think Matt will do great wherever he goes…I have Mike Schmitz here and I feel with hiring a couple of other people that we’ll bring into the organization, I don’t want to disrespect anybody to create redundancy or duplication. We respectfully had that conversation with Matt.”
As for Finley, Ujiri was noncommittal about his future with the organization, as he initially was when asked about Kidd’s future.
“I am discussing with Michael on roles and how he wants to fit in,” Ujiri said. “In this organization, he has run an incredible scouting process and department here. We continue to work with Mike and we will discuss whatever role is appropriate for him and we all see fit going forward, if he wants to continue with us.”
Who will lead the medical staff?
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The Mavericks have a big vacancy at the top of their medical program. Dallas is in need of a director of health and performance following the firing of Johann Bilsborough, who was relieved of his duties by governor Patrick Dumont just one day after the team’s regular season finale. The Mavericks’ decision to part ways with former head of medical Casey Smith in August 2023 proved to be consequential, as nothing but injury misfortune has followed in his absence. Last offseason, longtime head athletic trainer Dionne Calhoun was dismissed, along with former performance director Keith Belton.
Jana Austin was promoted to head athletic trainer this season. She was among the many who joined the Mavericks in Chicago last week for the NBA draft combine, where Ujiri and Schmitz held several meetings with current team personnel. Ujiri mentioned a sense of urgency to improve the medical department several times during his introductory press conference and he prioritized it first in a list during Wednesday’s news conference.
“It’s the whole departments in this organization from medical, to coaching, to scouting, to development, to everything you can possibly think of,” Ujiri said. “In the last two weeks, we have continued to really start to evaluate this.”